Unhappy with port placement

I just had a port put in yesterday and was a bit surprised to discover that these days only power ports are used. Maybe your earlier port was a different style? Mine works with some of my bras and most v-necks, but I think it will show with deeper scoop necks. It sticks out about 1/4 inch.

Hi Patty,

I know it's a bit late, as you've had your port placed, but might it still be a bit swollen from the actual surgery? Perhaps given some healing time, it will become less prominent. I have a very petite upper body area and a little hollow where my shoulder needs my chest. My port was placed there and is only visible if I wear something with very thin straps. It is a petite Bard power port and only the three palpation bumps are visible, though most people think it's a small bruise. I hope it settles down soon. Mine has been a godsend. Just had. PET this morning and love that they can use the port for it as well as all blood work. Take care

No! Power ports, at least the Bard brand can be very low profile and tiny. The only thing that "sticks out" are the three palpation bumps which are arranged in a triangle formation. The body of the port itself, also triangular, is not visible. Will try to post a pic:

I am not given to selfies, but here are two to show my port placement and it's very low profile. No visible lines at all . It's been in for over 4 years and was just accessed this morning. Note that it is not visible in a tank top. Apologies for the scary pics, no makeup

Patty, if you are unhappy, after healing, you might want to look in to a change.

Patty,

I think most major brands these days are power injectable ports. They allow two importsnt things; injection of tracer materials, such as those used for PET scans (just used mine this morning) and blood draws. No more needle sticks or searching for veins! Of course these functions can only be performed by port trained nurses (not lab techs). My medical facility alway asks if port access is needed for scans and I have my blood draws at the infusion center. They are well set up to use the power port for all it's intended ways. Some have reported getting power ports and then going to facilities which don't make trained personnel available except for actual infusions.

Another thought on port placement is the upper arm. Not as common, but several women I know have had it placed there. Take care.

What is the mouse tail? I have no visible evidence of anything, save for the palpation bumps

Here's the mouse tail look from google images.

The Bard ports are not plain to see, hence the palpation bumps. Mine was inserted through a single incision and is much higher up, where shoulder meets upper chest, so that might be why no lone is visible. Yes,my hey do beat finding a vein, hands down

Unlike exbrxgrl, I have a Bard power port that is plain to see. You can see the lump of the triangle with bumps, and the catheter going from that up over my collarbone. To the anatomically uneducated eye, the tail/catheter looks like a vein. I hide the triangle under clothes. Many scoop-neck tops work, but some don't. Patty, I hate it when I see it in the mirror, and I love it when I have a painless blood draw or scan injection. My family tells me it is not as obvious as it seems to me. One good thing is that the incision above the triangle has now faded, and since it is no longer red, it isn't noticeable. I do think they should have us meet with the doctor to discuss port placement before we get it. I think he did a pretty good job, but a half-inch lower would have made a big difference to me in terms of clothes.

Patty, I have a Bard power port & it is very noticeable. The nurses all love mine because it sticks out so much, so much so that they don't have to feel for the bumps, they can see the entire outline of it. They always want all the new nurses to use me as their guinea pig the first time. I think everyone is different depending on how thin their skin is. It used to bother me before, if people could see it when I wore tshirts or if something was a bit tight & you could see the bump of it which is quite noticeable, but now I don't care & if they stare, I just stare back at them. Cheers, Dee

Sue,

I have never had IV chemo yet still have my port. Here's what happened.

- Had port installed in anticipation of chemo. I was staged IIB and set to do a clinical trial.

- Had to do an echocardiogram for trial. Fluid found around my heart.

- Fluid turns out to be nothing, but spot found on femur.

- After the whole pneumothorax mess is resolved, biopsy shows 2cm bc met on upper femur.

- A decision is made to nuke the met with rads, go on an AI and do Aredia infusions for two years. Aredia is an older bone strengthener.

So, I used the port for Aredia only. I continue to use it for scans and blood draws. Since it doesn't bother me or show, I've chosen to leave it in, knowing I will probably need it one day. Despite the fact that I am not superstitious, there is a part of me that thinks the minute I remove it, I'll have progression. So as irrational as it seems, it's a bit of a talisman for me. Don't laugh 🤗.

Patty, I am so sorry you are unhappy with your port placement, but if it works and is comfortable that is way more important than the appearance. My port was under my bra strap. It was slightly visable, just a rounded bump, but it was very uncomfortable. While I couldn't see a "mousetail", I could feel it tug when I turned my head. The worse part was it was "wobbly", it would shift when they tried to access it and I sometimes had to be stuck more than one time. It was both painful and stressful Eventually they found a routine that worked, but I had to always ask for a very experienced nurse. If your port is comfortable and easy to access, don't fret the appearance, its there to make your life easier. Hope it works well for you.

Carolyn,

Well, statistically, it happens 1% of the time. In my case, it was an even odder situation in that on my post installation x-ray , my lung was fine. My lung was actually nicked and it slowly collapsed over the course of two weeks, similar to a slow leak on a tire. I had no pain, nor shortness of breath. This was definitely one of the most bizarre medical incidents of my life.

Sueris,

Yikes, that was very negligent of your cancer center. I am not currently using my port, but do go for flushes every month. If I need a blood draw, I make an appointment at the infusion center, no wait. I have no incision at my neck, only at the port site, but I have heard others say they had a neck incision too.

It's crazy how different port installation/location/uses and procedures can be from place to place

here's my lifeline :-)